PDA

View Full Version : Who has stayed at the Poly within the past year?



asrai555
03-20-2007, 10:21 PM
I just read the 2007 Unofficial Guide's review. I am little hesitant to spend so much money if the service isn't 4 star. Tell me all about your experience. Purty please?

Bruegge
03-20-2007, 10:43 PM
There was a post a couple of weeks ago saying Poly got it's 4th star back due to the latest refurb...

Scott

asrai555
03-20-2007, 11:02 PM
Yes, thank you, I remember reading that.

I guess my question is more service specific. How was the service from the cast members?

busterthebronco
03-20-2007, 11:14 PM
we stayed there at Christmas and it was fine.
maybe i dont know what to look for?

asrai555
03-20-2007, 11:18 PM
I think good service is different for everyone but for me it would be long and slow moving lines during check-in/check-out, waiting a looong time for bell services, top-notch mousekeeping (which is mentioned specifically in the UOG 2007), and just overall friendly and helpfulness of cast-members.

castlelady36
03-21-2007, 09:08 AM
We stayed last summer and check in was quite fast and they were very accomidating when I asked for a specific room. I found the atmosphere and the cast members wonderful. Is it worth the price? That depends on individual preference and though I loved the resort I don't think it is worth the $$$ and it is a resort we can only stay at once in awhile as a treat.

SBETigg
03-21-2007, 09:22 AM
This may not be relevant to you because my last Poly stay was in Oct 2005, but the service was definitely top notch. No more than a few minutes wait for check in. Bell services were very responsive and always right when we needed them. Superb mousekeeping. Friendly, friendly service everywhere we went. We had absolutely no service problems and a fantastic stay.

It can definitely change in a short period of time, so listen to the more recent vacationers, and also keep in mind that not every experience is the same from day to day and traveler to traveler.

CanadianWDWFan
03-21-2007, 09:33 AM
We stayed there Jast August. We loved the place.:cloud9: I would pay for just the room itself. They are quite large! As for service, it was top notch. From check-in, bell services to every CM we dealt with were great! We had one issue, our room requests were not met, but the CM at check-in worked with us and got us what we wanted, even though we had to wait until the afternoon to get it. This was all done within minutes of us getting into line. I would stay there again in a heartbeat :heart:

My DW on the other hand is sold on the BWI. I still have some work to do there!;)

Catzle
03-21-2007, 09:43 AM
We were there in May 06' We stayed in the Hawaii building, it was great. The grounds were perfect, the staff were perfect and we couldn't of been happier. If I were rich I would never stay anywhere else, the Poly has everything to make our stay exactly the way we want. The new rooms are great! I can see myself there right now, sitting on the beach watching the castle and enjoying every second.

tikiman
03-21-2007, 10:37 AM
I did some work for the Polynesian section of the Unofficial guide and I talk to the co-author often and we discussed that the review is going to be revised for the next book. There were many complaints when they were doing the last book and now the have one of the lowest totals of complaints. They did get their forth Diamond rating back from AAA last month but that would more reflect the amenities and the look of the resort. You will find that every resort, every year has a certain amount of complaints about service and it seems to come in waves. For the most part the reports are good but there have been some that still have had bad experiences. We were there in December and everything was the best we have seen during any of our trips.

asrai555
03-21-2007, 12:48 PM
OMG! Tikiman the Poly Celebrity responded to my very own thread! :/jawdrop.

Tee hee hee.

Thank you for all the replies. I am trying to make "the rounds" so to speak - testing out different resorts on different trips. I think for this trip we will shorten our stay in order to stay at the Poly (x number of vacation days for DH also is a factor).

I really want to try it - and I do agree Tikiman - I think that no matter WHAT certain people will complain. Its their nature. And yes, I also believe in cluster theory, when it rains it pours, so it makes sense that complaints would go in waves so-to-speak.

Now I have to beeline for the Disney Savings Club thread. We are moving on up in the savings department - yeah!

asrai555
03-21-2007, 10:20 PM
Thank you Tiki - I did see the Tikifest info on your site (which is lovely btw).

We are planning our trip in October though. hence the whole Poly idea - I want to be on the monorail for the MNSSHP!

tikiman
03-22-2007, 09:37 AM
Well that will make it easy to get in and out of the MK so I think you made a good choice.

mrsgaribaldi
03-22-2007, 12:52 PM
We stayed there for the first time in Jan and it is our favorite resort by far now:thumbsup: We checked in on a Sat in the early afternoon and it was fast. The CM's were great. I remember reading a post here about someone not happy with the service and saying how the CMs at the Poly were not friendly and we had the exact opposite. Everytime we were outside and passed any employees we got an "aloha". We stayed in the Tokelau building and the room was gorgeous. It was a garden view room with a balcony that looked out over the walkway and greenery. It was very nice but a little chilly to sit out to long:mickey: The monoral being so close was great too. Our only other monorail resort was the Contemporary which we stayed in in Nov and we both said that we loved the Poly alot more:blush:
The food court was also nice, much more so that the Contemporary.
I would stay at the Polynesian every time if I could afford it:lei: :papple: :tikki:

Polynesian fan
03-22-2007, 06:17 PM
We love the Poly. Stayed there three times last year in Hawaii building. Going back to the Poly this oct, can't wait. The grounds are beautiful and being close to the monrail is great.

WDW1985
03-22-2007, 07:17 PM
There's no doubt the the Polynesian is an amazing place. The grounds are beautiful and really make you feel as though you are somewhere exotic. :cloud9: But to answer your specific question re: the service of cast members, I would say that if you compare the service of some (not all) of the moderate resorts to the poly they would be very comparable. I have stayed at both and find them to be similar. I think it's part of Disney's training model. They want the classic Disney service to be consistent everywhere. If you are willing to pay the prices of the Poly, then I say do it for the beautiful grounds and other amenities, not the service.

TiggeRia
03-22-2007, 08:32 PM
I stayed in an MK View room in Tahiti in November/December 2006. IMHO, you are paying for mostly location, location, location. I did not find the service to be all that different from what I've had in a value resort.

Check-In--We didn't have to wait long to check in, but the CM that checked us in wasn't the friendliest of people. I had made a request to be in Tahiti, and she made a big deal out of finding us another room in that longhouse. Maybe she was just having a bad day...

Mousekeeping--Let me start by saying we left a $5 tip for them each day. However, I didn't find it to be up to par. The first day we arrived there were dirty dishes left in our room and the daybed wasn't made with the comforter. The comforter was tossed in the corner in a heap, and that is where it remained for the entire week. Some days they didn't get there to clean until four o'clock, some days they were there at 8 or 9. I think they just did a general straightening up of the room, not actual cleaning. There were spots on the bathroom counter the entire week, as well. Plus we didn't get any towel animals. :(

Rooms--The rooms were very large as was the bathroom. We easily fit four adults in it and most likely would have been just fine with a 5th. I absolutely loved going to sleep at night watching Cinderella Castle change colors in the distance. Plus we could watch the fireworks every night! A definate bonus.

Resort Itself--Very pretty, great theming. A huge bonus to be located right by the Epcot monorail and also have the MK monorail right there, too. It was so nice to stroll through it at night with the tiki torches lit and polynesian music playing in the background.

Once again, I think you're paying for the location/theming, and not really the service, but that's just my opinion. Would I stay there again? Absolutely, it's just not something I could afford to do every trip. :mickey:

mac badger
03-23-2007, 12:19 PM
we stayed at poly 2nd week in dec 2006 for our anniversary. a few weeks before our trip we received a postcard from the resort about a pilot program for resort checkin being tried at the poly only-basically we checked in over the phone 2 weeks before. when we arrived at the resort there was a special area at the desk for preferred check in. we gave our names and boom! there were our keys, took less than a minute. i hope they continue with this program.

the poly is one of my favorite resorts, its just so relaxing. if you are going to spend most of your time in the parks i dont think its worth the money, but if you are going to take time out to relax around the resort its a great treat, and you cant beat monorail access to MK

i unfortuneately got a cold while we were staying, but it was the best place to be sick. i just layed in the huge room in the very comfy bed and looked out into the gardens, and when i felt up to it we went to MK for an hour or 2, then it was no problem to jump back to the resort.i'm not too picky about service, but i dont recall any problems with it and generally recall all the castmembers being very friendly. i dont think youll be disappointed:mickey:

diz_girl
03-23-2007, 02:24 PM
I stayed at the Poly less than two months ago in Tolkelau. We had great service from all of the staff. As someone mentioned before, every time we passed by a cast member we also received an 'Aloha'. I also caught a cold during my stay and the monorail access was very convenient when I needed to go back to my room to take a nap. But don't think that everyone at the Poly catches colds, I got that one from my husband, who started sneezing on our way to WDW.

As someone else also mentioned, the key feature to the Deluxe resorts, and why they cost so much $$$, is location, location, location. All Deluxe resorts are very close to a theme park and you are paying for that convenience, with the monorail resorts being the most convenient of the Deluxes. The Deluxes also have more dining and recreational options than do the moderates and values. However, if you're looking to be pampered and coddled, a la a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton, then you may have better luck going to the Grand Floridian or shelling out the extra $$$ for Concierge-level service.

As for the Poly, I'd say that it is the most convenient resort, as you have monorail and boat access to the MK, as well as the monorail to Epcot, which you only need to walk to the TTC to get. Also, you don't have to walk too far to get to anywhere in the resort, and the walks are very pleasant. Plus, the restaurants are wonderful and watching the fireworks and the Electrical Water Pageant from the beach is very special.

I loved my stay and I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. Give it a try - I doubt that you'll regret your choice.

EdwardBear
03-23-2007, 04:16 PM
A lot of people say, well if you're going to spend most of your time in the parks then stay at a Value or Moderate, but truthfully after a long day at the parks there is nothing like returning to the relaxing atmosphere of the Polynesian. :stitch2: I can't imagine having to walk far away to catch a crowded bus back to another long walk to a cramped room in a huge complex. I know, I'm spoiled! :woohoo:

Willowwind
03-25-2007, 01:07 PM
I'm so glad that things seem to be getting better at the Poly!

I had really wanted to stay there for our trip this December but that Unofficial Guide review put me off. My husband is VERY picky when it comes to service and I didn't want to chance it. The happier he is with the hotel, the more we get to go in general. :mickey:

LudwigVonDrake
03-25-2007, 07:05 PM
I'm staying at Poly in July for the first time and I can't wait to check it out and see what it's like :tikki: :tikki: